The Shanghai Composite was trading 0.39% lower or 8.83 points to 2,227.39.

Financial markets in Japan remained closed on account of a public holiday.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to retire early in 2014. Market players considered Summers, one of two contestants for the top job, as someone who would adopt a hawkish stance regarding US monetary stimulus.

Vice Chair Janet Yellen has now emerged as the frontrunner for the top post.

"With Lawrence Summers now out of the Fed chair race, it makes dove Janet Yellen the favourite to be the next chairman of the US Federal Reserve," said Tim Radford, global analyst at Rivkin Securities.

"Summers was the clear favourite within the White House, given his contribution in guiding the US economy through the global financial crisis under President Barack Obama. But with growing opposition in Congress to the man that has been widely criticised and blamed for helping cause the 08/09 financial crisis due to his influence on deregulating the financial services industry, Summers has essentially been forced to pull out from the race," Radford said.

"It's widely believed [that Yellen] will continue Bernanke's pro-growth policies, if not taking a more aggressive stance," he added.

The Fed's FOMC will meet on 17-18 September. Economists polled by Reuters expect the Fed to trim its bond-buys by $10bn to $75bn a month, following the meeting.